


Bravely Alternate: Student Asterisk!

by bapplejack



Category: Bravely Default: Flying Fairy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Romance, Slice of Life, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-24
Updated: 2014-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-16 20:44:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1361146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bapplejack/pseuds/bapplejack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Spoilers! - Please don't read until you know Ringabel's identity. It's a big part of how I'm writing this story.] </p><p>Slice of life stories about the ~heroes of light~, because I don't want things to be sad and terrible for them in at least one universe.</p><p>Chapter 2: Edea and Ringabel are forced to attend a high class charity event. A perfect place to come to terms with the fact that you're in love, right? Yeah? ...No?</p><p>Thanks to my friend Emily for talking my ideas out with me and giving me suggestions as well. C:</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro: The Lost, New Girl.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agnès Oblige has spent her whole life in a small town. She's never lived in such a big city, or attended such a large school... How is she going to find her way around!? Is there anyone who can help her? She doesn't want to be late to another class!

Agnes had never been to a school this big. She had been home schooled during her grade school years, and attended an all-girls private school for middle school, up to the first two years of high school.

All of this was new to her...  _And she had no idea where her classes were._

_'The lady at the front desk told me to go down the hallway, make the first right, and then it would be on my right... I think? Ah, it must be this one.'_

Carefully, she opened the door, and there was already a teacher taking attendance of the class. He looked up from the list of students and arched a brow at Agnes. “You're late. Go take a seat.”

“S-sorry,” she murmured and quickly scurried to the closest empty table and chair. 

While the instructor took the rest of attendance, she pulled out her notebook, and waited patiently for him to call her name.

...Except he never did. Before she could decide what to do or say, he already started talking again.

“Alright everyone, welcome to English...”

_'...Wait, English? Oh no--'_ Agnes quickly stuffed her things back into her shoulder bag and scrambled out of her seat, and out of the classroom. 

Behind her, she could faintly hear the teacher asking,  _“Where are you going?”_

_Nonono_ , she was  _so dumb._ Her running start slowed into a brisk walk as she continued down the hallway. She didn't know where she was going, but right then she didn't care.  _That had been the wrong class!_ She felt the heat rising to her face while she pulled her schedule out of her bag, and fumbled with unfolding the piece of paper. Her eyes quickly scanned the sheet, until she found the piece of information she needed.

_Chemistry – B8._

Okay, if that was the classroom she needed to go to, she couldn't be far off, right? She checked the sign hallway at the corner.

_D →_

_E ←_

Her eyes followed the arrow that pointed towards the hallway she was just in.  _E. She was just in the E hallway._

_She was on the complete other side of the school._

' _I'm so late!'_ She mentally cried, and started sprinting down the hallway, towards where  _hopefully_ her class was. 

But as soon as the hallway opened up into an intersection, she felt herself collide straight into another person. In a moment, she was knocked right off her feet, with the contents of her bag spilling out across the floor.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Jackal was such a jerk. Ever since day one, he'd given Tiz a hard time. The fact that they were sophomores in high school now didn't change a thing.

For the most part, the guy left him alone because he didn't want to get into trouble, but then there were  _mornings like this_ .

Jackal and his group were harassing one of their own, playing keep away with a bottle of red Gatorade. Despite the ruckus being right next to him, Tiz kept to himself. He liked to take the extra time before school started to double-check his homework.

He was focused on the questions, rereading them and making sure his answers were in complete sentences and that there weren't any mistakes his teacher could mark him off for. He was just about to erase something when cold, red liquid splashed onto his table and onto his clothes. He looked up in surprise, but was  _not surprised_ to see Jackal and his lot grinning at him.

“Oh, sorry Tiz, my hand slipped.”

“Of course it did,” Tiz sighed, setting his pencil down.

“What're you gonna do, cry to Edea about it?” Jackal sneered.

He said nothing. He'd learned by now  _there was no point_ . If he showed Jackal that it bothered him, he'd just keep trying to rile him up and make him feel worse. He got out of his seat, and headed to the teacher's desk.

“Is it okay if I clean off in the bathroom?”

“Oh, Tiz, what happened?” Apparently she was doing her best to ignore the scene Jackal and his group were causing. He wished he could do that.

“I just spilled some Gatorade on myself.” He smiled.

“Go ahead, I hope you can get it out.”

“Me too.”

He could feel the other boy's eyes watching him as he exited the classroom.

“This sucks...” Tiz mumbled to himself, looking down at his clothes. He was wearing a light, heather gray henley that was now half-covered in a red stain, not to mention the questionable stain that was on his jeans...

He simply sighed, looking up at the ceiling as he exited the hallway.

And was abruptly slammed into the floor.

“S-sorry! Oh, goodness—I'm so sorry!” As he was still grasping the situation, he heard a girl softly, _and flusteredly_ , apologizing to him by his side.

“Huh? Uh—oh, it's okay.” He crawled closer to her and helped pick up her things. 

“I'm sorry, I was in a hurry and...” 

Tiz smiled softly. “It's okay. I wasn't watching where I was going either.” He held out a handful of pens towards the girl.

...Who was really pretty.

“Uh. ...Are you new here? I haven't seen you around before.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

This morning wasn't getting any better.

' _I'm so dumb._ '

As if being late to her  _first class here_ wasn't bad enough, Agnes had gotten completely lost... annnd then knocked over this nice, cute boy.  _She was so embarrassed._

“Yes, today's my first day.” She murmured, quickly stuffing her things back into her bag. The faster she could walk away from this awkward encounter, the better. 

“Oh. Are you lost?” Hearing the words only made her more embarrassed. _'Was it that obvious?_ ' 

When she was sure everything of hers was off the floor, she glanced up at the boy, who was just smiling softly at her. “...Yes. I'm not used to schools these big,” she admitted sheepishly.

“Can I see your schedule?” She nodded, and held out the crinkled piece of paper.

“Oh, your first class is downstairs.” (' _There's a downstairs!?'_ ) He pointed behind her. At the corner of the school was a stairwell. “You just go down there, and it's right on your left.” He handed the paper back to her.

“T-thank you...”

“Don't mention it. Um... if you'd like, I could meet you down there after class and show you to your next one? A big school like this can be intimidating when you're new.”

“Ah—I wouldn't want to trouble you...”

The boy simply continued smiling.  _Was she blushing? She hoped she wasn't blushing._ “It's no trouble at all. I want to make the transition easier for you.”

She hesitated. She  _really_ didn't want to bother someone else, but judging by her day so far? She was  _probably_ going to need help. And this boy seemed really nice... If he was offering to help, then what was the harm in taking it? She nodded. "Thank you.”

“Yeah, no problem. I think we have the same lunch period too, so if you want, you can sit with me and my friends.” 

She felt her own lips starting to curl into a smile. “That'd be nice.”

“Oh, man—sorry, I'm being rude. My name's Tiz.” He held out a hand.

She looked at it for a moment, surprised by the gesture. “Agnes Oblige.” She placed her hand in his lightly.

“Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

They smiled at each other for a moment, before realizing that  _maybe they were holding on too long_ , and quickly retracted their hands. 

Both felt a little flustered at that moment.

“I should get to class,” Agnes excused herself and stood up, but not before holding a hand out for Tiz. 

“Um. Me too. I'll see you later?” He nodded thanks, as he took her hand and pulled himself up.

“See you.” She smiled one last time at Tiz, before turning towards the stairs.

“Cool...” He breathed quietly to no one but himself.

' _...Oh, crap! I still need to wash this stuff off!_ ' The teenager quickly scrambled towards the restroom, doing his best not to dwell on how fuzzy his head felt.

 

\- - ->

 

When Tiz returned to class, his desk and the floor underneath it had already been wiped clean of the earlier mess. It had originally surprised him, but as he took his seat, he noticed a heavy tension surrounding his  _class neighbor_ , Jackal. He didn't even make some kind of obnoxious quip at Tiz's return.

Tiz wasn't sure if Jackal being mad at him was better or worse than him being a jerk. On the one hand, he wasn't joking around with his buddies and interrupting the class. On the other hand, the aura around the other boy made Tiz on edge and uncomfortable. He was more than happy to leave as soon as possible when the bell rang.

Even though it was a bit of a walk to get to the downstairs hallway, he moved briskly, weaving in and out of the crowd so as to not make Agnes wait longer than she had to. 

In a few moments, he'd exited the stairs. When he spotted her, he raised a hand and waved. “Agnes!” 

She looked up, first to the left, and then to the right. Her expression brightened when she saw him. “Tiz!”

“Hey, how was your class?” He asked when he stepped closer to her.

“It was... okay.” She responded uncertainly.

 

~ ~ ~

 

After following Tiz's instructions, she easily found the science room that was tucked away by the stairs. This time, she made certain the room numbers matched before carefully opening the door.

A few faces looked towards her, but the rest of the class was trained on the scene unfolding in front of the room. A round, older man was lecturing a boy whose back was completely straight and tense. His eyes were wide with fear, and he stammered something in response that was too quiet for Agnes to hear.

“What'd you say? Speak up, or I'll make you chug a flask of vinegar.” The teacher asked menacingly. The worst part of it was... he was _grinning_. _Was he enjoying this?_

“I-I said, I'm sorry Professor Qada!”

“Sit down.” He ordered, and the boy's posture immediately relaxed, as he slinked back to his seat. “You! You're late.” His beady eyes were now focused on Agnes.

She felt her own body tense at the malicious teacher's gaze. “S-sorry. I-I'm new, and I um--”

“Where's your late pass?”

“L...ate pass?”

“If you're late, you need a pass. I'm marking you off as an unexcused tardy. Three strikes and you're going to the office, which I'll be more than happy to send a slacker like you off to. Take a seat.”

“S-sorr—yes, sir...” She whimpered quietly, before slinking off herself.

 

~ ~ ~

 

“What a jerk.” Tiz frowned. “Someone needs to stand up to that guy... He bullies his students all the time. I'm sorry that's the first class you had to go to.” His eyes softened when he glanced towards Agnes.

“Well, it's partially my fault... I shouldn't be late...” She mumbled, holding her bag closer to herself.

“You couldn't help it, it's your first day!”

She looked up at Tiz, smiling softly. “Thank you.”

The teenager wouldn't have been able to explain what just happened inside his chest right then, but it was a strange, alarming fluttering. Despite his heartbeat doing _whatever_ it just did, and as scary as it was... it felt good. He smiled shyly in return. ...But was drawing a blank as to what to say.

He cleared his throat. “Um. Can I see your schedule again?”

She pulled out the piece of paper and handed it to him.

“Oh, that's right up here. I'm actually going to be over in the next hallway.” Before giving the paper back to her, he absorbed the rest of the schedule and class numbers so he wouldn't have to continue bothering her for the sheet.

“Thank you for doing this...”

“It's no problem. I'm glad to help.”

The two smiled brightly at each other.

 

\- - ->

 

Lunch period couldn't come soon enough for Tiz. He was so eager to introduce Agnes to his friends. They could come off a little _strong,_ but they were good people, and he knows that they'd welcome her with open arms. It'd be even better if they all became friends and could hang out regularly...

Instead of working on his in-class assignment, Tiz was daydreaming when the lunch bell rang. The abrupt sound made him jump in his seat a little, but when he realized what the sound off meant, he quickly joined the rest of his classmates.

“Yo, Tiz, where you going?” One of his classmates called back to him when he headed in a different direction.

“Ah... I'm helping out a new student find her way around the school. I'll be there in a few minutes!”

“Alright, don't be too late!” His classmate waved at him.

“I won't!”

Tiz jogged down the hallways, turning down the one that Agnes would currently be waiting in. As she heard his footsteps approaching, she turned and walked towards him, meeting him halfway.

“Thanks for waiting,” he breathed.

“No problem. Thank you for being so kind to me.” It was probably the billionth time that day she'd thanked Tiz, and she was faintly aware that that was embarrassing. But at the same time, she'd had a rough day, and his nice gestures were making it infinitely better.

He smiled. “Were your second and third classes better?” He asked curiously as they headed towards the cafeteria.

“Yes, much better. It helps that I wasn't late to them,” she laughed softly.

“I'm sure the teachers were nicer to you too.” Tiz still felt a little bitter about her incident with Qada... How could a teacher be such a jerk!?

“Much nicer. I'm still getting used to a school like this, but I'm enjoying it so far.”

“That's great! Most of the people around here are really nice--” His mind briefly thought of Jackal for a moment. “--And you're really sweet, so I think you'll get along just fine. And I'm here to help if you ever need it. And my friends will be glad to help you too.”

She smiled, blushing a little. “You think so?”

“Yeah! ...Um, I should warn you, my friends may come off a little... well, _one_ of them may come off a little energetic. The other...” Tiz mulled over how to describe his buddy, mentally pulling out several phrases and deciding that none of them quite fit. “...Well, he's nice. They're both nice.”

“I'm sure any friends of yours are.”

He chuckled. “I try to keep good company.”

As they stepped into the cafeteria, Tiz immediately saw a figure several tables away waving at him, beckoning him over. “Over here,” he gestured.

“Tiz! Where were yo--ehhh? Who's your friend?” The blonde girl immediately asked as the two approached the table and sat down.

“This is Agnes. She's new to the school. Agnes, this is Edea.” He gestured towards the girl, who responded with an energetic wave. “And this is Alternis.” The blonde young man waved, though with much less effort than the girl next to him.

“Oh—we share the same Chemistry class...” Agnes said quietly.

“Yeah. You were the late girl, right?”

She said nothing in response. Instead, she hid her burning face behind her hands. In response, Edea smacked Alternis's arm, who in turn simply looked confused.

“Sorry, he didn't mean that in a bad way.” The younger girl apologized sympathetically. “You're new? Are you from around the area?”

As the two girls started talking, the older boy glanced over at the younger and arched a brow at him.

“No, I've actually moved from a different state.”

The younger boy's eyes widened slightly in confusion.

“Oh! May I ask why?”

Alternis waggled his eyebrows. His eyes briefly darted towards Agnes, before focusing on Tiz again.

“Of course. My parents are missionaries... They're taking an extended trip out of the country, so I'm currently staying with my grandfather.”

Tiz's brow furrowed in further confusion at his friend's expression... until it dawned on him what he was implying. He quickly dipped his head and started unpacking his bagged lunch, trying to ignore the rising heat in his face.

The older boy chuckled. _He was so fun to tease_. Though he wasn't about to get out of this unscathed, as Edea noticed the secret conversation him and Tiz were having. She quickly elbowed Alternis in the side.

“What're you doing?” She asked suspiciously.

He groaned, clutching his ribs. “Nothing. Why are you so violent?”

“Natural response to hanging around you too long.” She quipped, before turning back to her conversation with Agnes, whose eyes were wide at the scene that just unfolded before her. Tiz chuckled sheepishly.

“It's just how they are, don't worry about it.” He explained quietly. She nodded slightly, unsure as to whether or not she really _shouldn't worry about it._

“Anyway—so how long will you be in the area?” Edea continued, pointedly ignoring the slightly pouting boy next to her.

“Um... I'm not sure. My parents will be gone for a few years...”

“Wow! That long, huh?”

Agnes nodded. “I'll be staying with my grandfather until I graduate high school. I don't quite know what I'll do after that, though.”

Edea waved her hand. “You still have time to think about it. For now, just enjoy your new experiences! Have you joined any clubs?”

Alternis groaned, knowing where this was going. His expression quickly turned into a wince when _someone's_ foot stepped on his.

“I haven't had a chance to, no. Do you all have a club you take part in together?” Agnes asked curiously, before chewing thoughtfully on a carrot.

“Ah-ha! I'm _glad you asked_!”

“How else was she supposed to respond with a lead up like that...” The blonde junior grumbled.

Edea thoughtfully ignored that comment. “Yes! We're part of the newly established _Baking Club_.”

The brunette girl's eyes widened in wonder. “A... baking club? For cookies and such?” _That sounded amazing._

“Cookies, cakes, pies—I could go on! We all gather in one of the home ec rooms, and celebrate our shared love of sweets.”

“You mean _your_ love of sweets, and Tiz and I were dragged along.” Alternis deadpanned.

“I am going to cover your car in glitter and pony dolls.”

“I'm sure I could pull it off,” he smiled coolly.

Instead of granting him another response, _which was exactly what he wanted_ , Edea punched him in the shoulder and continued the conversation without him. “How about it? Are you busy after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays?” She smiled brightly.

Agnes giggled. “I'm not. I would love to come, it sounds wonderful.”

“Yes! You won't regret it!”

 

\- - - >

 

The rest of the lunch period continued without a hitch. When the bell rang, the two pairs went their separate ways as they headed back to class.

“I like your friends. They're very fun to be around.” Agnes smiled.

“I'm glad.” Tiz smiled back. “I was afraid they might overwhelm you.” They had derailed the conversation-at-hand multiple times during lunch, and they always did with their little arguments. In fact, Tiz usually had to sit in the front seat when Alternis was driving, or else him and Edea would _probably crash the car_.

“Not at all. I can tell you all are very close.”

“Oh, yeah... We've all been friends since we were kids. I think I moved next to them when I was around... eight? So it's been eight years.” His eyes softened as he thought about his friends fondly.

“That's a long time. I'm jealous.” She said good-naturedly.

“Yeah, ahaha... Did you... Did you have to leave behind a lot of friends?” Tiz asked cautiously. He didn't want to pry, after all. But he was curious, he wanted to know more about her.

“Um... some,” she answered vaguely, not wanting the other boy to feel bad for her.

“Ah... I'm sorry, that must be hard.” He stopped walking when they arrived in front of her class.

“A little, but we keep in touch. Besides, this is a good opportunity to make new friends.” Her eyes met Tiz's, and her smile widened.

“That's a good way to look at it...” His sentence trailed when he held her gaze, matching her smile with his own.

For several moments, they stood like that... until the bell rang.

“...Oh, shoot—I'm late to class! I'll see you after?” He started stepping away, not completely leaving sight until she responded.

“Of course, I'm sorry I kept you!”

“Don't worry about it!” He shouted around the corner, dashing off to his class.

Agnes's gaze lingered for a moment longer at the place Tiz stood. There was a pleasant warmth filling her heart, as well as her cheeks.

A good opportunity indeed.

 

\- - →

 

“So, you gonna ask her out?” Alternis asked casually. The two of them were currently sitting in the front of his car while they waited for Edea.

Tiz's response got caught in his throat. Instead, he simply stared at his friend, mouth agape.

“Well?” He grinned.

“W-what're you talking about!? I just. I _just met her_.” The sophomore looked away, his face burning from embarrassment.

“And you like her, right? So ask her out.”

“I—We're not talking about this.”

“If you don't, I will. She's pretty cute...”

At that moment, Edea had opened the door to the backseat. “What're you guys talking about?” She asked curiously, stepping into the car.

“Nothing! We're not talking about anything!” Tiz answered flusteredly before Alternis could say something _dumb_.

“O...kay...” She exchanged a curious glance with the older boy through the rear view mirror. “So... you're helping Agnes get around the school? That's nice of you.” She commented casually as they began to pull out of the parking space.

“She was lost. I'm just trying to help,” he mumbled.

“Aww, good guy Tiz! That's my boy.” She reached over to the front seat and patted him on the shoulder. “And now we have another member for the wonderful Baking Club,” she beamed.

“Yeah, about that... do I have to go?” Alternis mumbled.

“Yes! You're a founding member. You have to set a good precedent.”

“I'm only a founding member because _you made me_!”

“I didn't _make you._ Man up and take responsibility for your decisions in life!”

“I was asleep, and you stuffed a pillow in my face in the middle of the night--”

As the two were bickering, Tiz stared out the window contently. His mind drifted back to that warm fluttering that filled his heart several times that day. Every time it happened, it was because of...

Even remembering her face... her smile... that did it as well.

He smiled peacefully at the thought of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just needed to make our babies happy. :(( So what better way to do that than to write a HS AU?
> 
> So the big things to note:
> 
> Alternis - I'm using the name Alternis instead of Ringabel because the latter is associated with his amnesia. I didn't make that a part of this AU, so I kept his name as Alternis. But the reason I tagged it as Ringabel is because of how I'm characterizing him. A lot of Alternis's stiff personality in the game came from his background. Ex: His mother, raised as a military guy, etc. While some of that will parallel into this story, his upbringing is much less tragic in this AU, so his ~Ringabel~ personality will come from that, instead of his amnesia. Basically, he's going to be a mix of Alternis/Ringabel. Sort of like end-game Ringabel, except still not quite as flirty. I hope that makes sense!
> 
> School setting - I'm not personally experienced with Japanese schools, so I decided to write this as an American school. I do have a state and city in mind, and I'll write it in if it becomes relevant.
> 
> Ages/School years - I'm not sure if this will ever be specifically mentioned in the story, so I thought I'd just tack it on here.  
> Agnes: 17 / Junior.  
> Edea: 15 / Sophomore.  
> Ringabel: 18 / Junior.  
> Tiz: 16 / Sophomore.
> 
> I pulled this from their Japanese ages. I wanted them to share grades, so even though Tiz is 16, I kept him as a sophomore. In the story, the reason for this is because he has a late birthday, and is one of the reasons for Ringabel as well. (I'm actually not sure if they have canon birthdays?)
> 
> I thiiiink that's all I wanted to say. SORRY I'M SUCH A BLABBERMOUTH. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!


	2. All Of This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edea and Ringabel are forced to attend a high class charity event. A perfect place to come to terms with the fact that you're in love, right? Yeah? ...No?

“What even is that, Tiz?” Edea didn't even try to hide the smirk as she poked fun at her friend's drawing.

“What? What do you mean what is it?” The boy frowned down at his piece of paper. The gray sketchy lines formed one large amorphous blob in the center of the page. Out of its sides came four rectangles with rugged edges. “I...it's a bear...”

Despite his dejected tone, Alternis and Edea couldn't help but laugh.

“You guys are mean,” Tiz mumbled.

“I think it looks nice,” Agnes reassured softly.

The two blondes across the table exchanged a knowing look, before the younger girl quipped, “Sure you do.”

“W-what does that mean? I do! It's a very nice um. ...Bear.” At her pause, the other two shared another chuckle.

“Why did I agree to take this class,” the brunette pouted into his hands. “I'm not an artist...!”

“Because Edea told us to, and if you try to tell her no she would've thrown you into traffic?”

“That's not true! ...I would've pushed him down the stairs. The carpet is softer.”

Tiz sighed. “How haven't you taken Art before, Alternis?” As if his own drawings didn't look bad enough, they could easily be compared to his friend's due to proximity. And as long as he's known him, the older boy's had a journal he carried along with him everywhere. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence to see him absentmindedly doodling or scribbling away in it.

He shrugged. “Didn't feel like it.”

“Yeah, look at this guy, making everyone else look bad.” Edea teased, poking him in the ribs.

The blonde boy scowled, pushing her hand away.

Agnes giggled. “I'm glad I decided to take this class as well... It's fortunate we were placed in the same period.”

“Yeah, it's nice to get a class we can hang out together in.” Tiz agreed. “Oh, wait—that reminds me. Me and Agnes were talking about going to a movie tomorrow... Did you guys want to come?”

The two looked up at him from their current “argument”--which mostly consisted of slapping each other's hands—and sighed.

“We can't. My dad's got this fancy charity event or whatever and we have to go,” Edea explained.

Alternis said nothing, but Agnes and Tiz could tell by the grim look on his face, he was about as excited as she was.

“Oh, that sucks. Maybe some other time, then.”

“May I ask what it is your father does?” Agnes asked curiously.

“I don't know what he does exactly, but he leads one of the local FBI field offices.” Edea shrugged.

“Wow! That must be interesting.”

“You'd think so... but since he knows people, he always gets invited to these boring events that we get dragged along to,” she mumbled.

“What makes them so bad?”

“There's not really anything to do. It's mostly for business people to talk about their boring work stuff, and then if there are any kids our age, they talk about their boring lives... _This guy_ just plays along and makes everything worse.” She roughly poked Alternis in the side.

“Ack— _stop that_. There's nothing wrong with that, I'm just trying to be nice.” He frowned. 

“Yeah, I'm sure you were so happy to listen to that girl give a play-by-play of her _championship winning chess match._ ' _Oh, yes, that's the most obvious move to make, naturally. Let me see how long I can fake this conversation before I get caught_ ,'” she sat up straighter, and changed the tone of her voice as she mocked the older boy.

“I didn't sound like that,” he mumbled, feeling a little flustered.

Edea laughed. “You sounded  _just like that_ .” She ruffled his hair, which resulted in her hand getting swatted away. “Maybe this time she'll tell you all about her exciting boarding school drama. The enthralling mystery of who took the teacher's pen out of the classroom?”

“Please no.” He quietly pleaded. 

“Oh, the drawbacks of being such a lady's man.” She pinched his cheek roughly.

\- - →

“Do you need help with your tie, Alternis dear?” Mahzer walked up to his open bedroom doorway.

“Ah—no, I'm fine.” He pulled on his suit jacket as she approached him. “You look lovely, Mrs. Lee,” he commented softly.

“You're such a sweet boy.” She straightened up the lapels and collar of his suit jacket, before readjusting his tie knot ever so slightly. It was more out of motherly attention than actual necessity; fussing over his formal wear was practically a tradition. Had it been that long ago when she first helped that shy, eleven year old boy with his first tie?

“You kids grow up too quickly... It felt like it was just yesterday when you started living with us.” Mahzer smiled fondly, as she brushed his hair gently with her hand.

“...I'm grateful for that everyday. Thank you. I should probably say that more.” He glanced off to the side, feeling ashamed. This family had been nothing but kind to him, and often times he doesn't feel worthy of their grace.

“Nonsense. We're just as grateful for you.” The motherly figure pulled him into a brief hug, which he heartfeltly returned. “You've grown to be a fine young man, Alternis. We couldn't be prouder.” 

“...Thank you,” he responded, trying to keep his voice even.

“Why don't we meet Braev and Edea downstairs? We shouldn't keep them waiting any longer.” Mahzer smiled playfully as she held out her arm. The young man returned her smile, and hooked his arm with hers.

“Of course.”

\- - →

Things were going about as well as they had expected it to.

As soon as they stepped through the door of the grand, bustling home, Edea had managed to slip away to their assigned dinner table. No doubt she'd hide away there for the rest of the evening. Before Alternis could even pinpoint the direction she'd ran off to, a giddy girl already surprise attacked him.

“Hi, Alternis. It's been a while, hasn't it?” The girl smiled at him with cheery, big brown eyes.

Ah... He  _had_ wanted to use this opportunity to talk to  _Edea_ , but... “It has. You look even more lovely than I remembered,” he greeted coolly.

_What was wrong with him_ ? It was like the words left his brain and went through his mouth before he even had a chance to stop them. He just had this innate reflex to  _please everyone_ , and this time it was getting him into trouble. ' _You couldn't have just said, 'It has been a while. It's nice seeing you. I would love to catch up, but I have some business I need to attend to first.' No, that would be too easy, wouldn't it?_ '

“Oh, you're just being nice,” she giggled and patted his chest. 

“I wouldn't lie to a beautiful girl.” He smiled, his attention partially divided as he tried to remember her name. He recognized her face, but the name was eluding him. _'J... Ja... no... I'm a terrible person._ '

“Jennifer! Why don't you come over here and meet Mrs. Girard?” A voice called to her from the seating area.

_Oh God, he was saved._

“Coming!” She called back to her father. “Why don't you say hi to my dad, and we can catch up?” She smiled, before dragging him towards the table.

Internally Alternis could feel his dread flooding his senses as  _nonononononono_ began cycling on repeat in the back of his head. But still, he kept a polite smile painted on his face. “That sounds wonderful.” To his own ears, his words sounded so detached.

“Dad, I'm sure you remember...” When the _pleasantries_ began, he felt his mind start drifting away as he put himself on auto-pilot. He was only partially focused on smiling and shaking the older man's hand, as well as nodding and responding appropriately. They'd pretty much completely lost him when he saw Edea off in the distance, disregarding the event in favor of playing on her phone. 

_She was so beautiful_ .

As soon as Alternis saw her back at the house, he had been speechless. He felt his throat close up and his face get warm. He  _had_ wanted to say that to her—to tell her she was  _beautiful_ , but he had fumbled it.  _Like always_ . 

Even on the car ride there, he'd choked on his words. In his defense, he didn't want to have a serious heart-to-heart with her parents in the front of the car.

That's why he had wanted to use this opportunity to talk to her... It's not as if he'd never told her she was wonderful and amazing, but maybe she thought he'd been joking? Even though he'd always thought she was the best thing ever.

...Was there ever a time he wasn't infatuated with her?

← \- -

Alternis had always been a quiet child. Even though he'd grown to be more open as a young adult, there was a part of him that felt more comfortable within his small circle of friends and family.

When he was at home, he spent a lot of time reading and writing, trying to occupy his time on his own. His mother was usually out; either at work, or partying, or on a date... There were times where he'd go days without seeing her. He  _had_ to be independent—it's not like he had another adult he could ask for help if there wasn't any food in the house.

Well, not until that  _one day_ ...

Alternis was eight. He remembered around that time, he'd taken to going outside to read on nice days. It was dreary being cooped up in the house, and it's not like there was anyone telling him  _no._

Mrs. Lee, being the caring woman she was and always will be, must've noticed he never had an adult around. He would always walk to and from school by himself, and when he'd be reading outside, there was never an adult that called him back in.

One day, she walked over to the neighboring home and knocked. The young boy was uncertain as to whether or not he should answer, but when he took a glance through the window, he was surprised to see who it was. He recognized her as the lady next door... So he cracked the door open and peeked through, silently awaiting the woman to state her business.

“Hi sweetie, is there an adult home?”

He shook his head.

“Oh, that's too bad...”

Silence. After a moment, Alternis quietly spoke up. “...Am I in trouble?”

“Oh, no of course not. It's just we've been neighbors for so long, and I've never invited you over to dinner.” The woman smiled softly, with a kind look in her eyes.

...Which caught the child off-guard. He wasn't sure how to respond in a situation like this. So instead of saying anything, he continued to stare at her with wide, confused eyes.

“Hmm... How about whenever your guardian comes home, tell them that I invited your household to dinner for Friday evening at six?” 

“Um. ...O-okay...”

“Wonderful. What's your name?”

“A-alternis.”

“I'm Mrs. Lee,” she held out her hand.

Still wary of what was going on, the boy looked at her hand before he very slowly and gently took it.

“It's nice to meet you, dear. I'll see you Friday?”

Careful nod.

After that encounter, he sat on the couch blankly staring at the space in front of him.  _What was he supposed to do?_ He didn't want to tell his mom about the dinner. There was the likelihood that she wouldn't even care. But what if she decided she wanted to go? He didn't want his mother to meet their family. Mrs. Lee actually seemed like a nice lady. 

He spent the next few days flip-flopping on his decision. The insecurity ate at him during most hours of the day, and he neurotically stressed over what their reaction would be and all the different ways it could end terribly.

But in the end, when the appointed time came, he tentatively rang the doorbell. When the door opened, he nearly jumped out of his skin, but managed to keep it together except for a  _quiet squeak_ .

“Oh, Alternis! You're right on time.” Mrs. Lee smiled at him. “Is it just you tonight?”

He nodded. “Um. ...My mom's at work. But she said I could come.” Lielielielies.

“Well, I'm glad you could join us.” Her sunny disposition made him feel like he should try to smile as well. He attempted a very weak and shaky smile.

It was so odd for him to have dinner with this  _normal family_ . Conversation was so relaxed and natural. He felt like he was watching a scene out of a TV show. It especially surprised him when their daughter started talking about her own day, and how Mr. and Mrs. Lee seemed so genuinely interested in her words. 

Alternis never remembered having any moments like this with his mother. The few times she did make food, it was only for him, as she'd be leaving the house right afterward. He... could  _not remember_ having an actual conversation with her. Not even once.

And then eventually—they turned to him. They asked him about his school, and how his day went, and it was one of the happiest and most uncomfortable things he'd ever went through. He even managed an awkward smile through it all.

At the end of the night, Mrs. Lee had sent him home with leftovers “for his mother.” He was more grateful he didn't have to worry about food for the next day, at least.

Before he left, the young girl ran up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned towards her, cocking his head in curiosity.

“You should come over more often, and we can play!” The blonde girl beamed happily.

The older boy stared blankly at her for a moment. “P...lay?”  _With me?_

“Yeah, play! That's what friends do, silly!” She held out her pinky. 

Alternis had never been in a situation like this—something that seemed to be happening more and more often as his young eight year old life continued. He gaped speechlessly, before the girl grew exasperated with his lack of action and took his free hand. She carefully pulled out his pinky, and hooked their fingers together.

“Okay, you promised! We're gonna play the next time you come over, okay!?”

He nodded rigidly. “O...okay.”

Even back then, Edea was energetic and demanding.

He'd been doomed from the start. He'd always cared about her, and as they grew older that emotion only matured and grew in intensity. He was certain that he'd never stop being in love with her.

\- - →

“Uh...” Alternis cleared his throat. He had been barely listening to Jennifer and her father; he was too caught up in his own head. “I'm sorry to leave early, but there's something I need to take care of.” He excused himself from their table, bowing his head slightly.

“Ah... no problem. See you later?” The girl smiled hesitantly.

“Of course. It was a pleasure catching up.” He continued to smile politely as he walked out of their sights. As he walked further away, he tugged at his tie, loosening up the knot slightly. He felt that the _rakish good looks_ won him more charm points than the stiff, fancy charity event look.

Despite his cool demeanor, Alternis could feel his heart rolling around and crying. He had no idea how this was going to go, but he knew he wanted to at least try.

When he was standing right beside Edea, who was still focused on her phone, he held out his hand.

“...Will you dance with me?”

“Eh?” She looked up, eyes blinking. As she processed his question, her brow furrowed, and she eyed him suspiciously. “...Why?”

' _You can do this. You can say something charming._ ' “Because I told myself that I'd have at least one dance with the most beautiful girl here tonight.” ' _Nailed it._ '

She huffed, not feeling convinced. It was weird—recently Alternis had been trying  _these lines_ on her, and she didn't really know what to expect. Was he just joking around? “You're so full of it.”

“That's not a no...”

“You _really_ want to dance?” She set down her phone.

“Aye, milady.” _He hoped that came off as quaint and adorable and not super dumb._

Edea rolled her eyes... but then took his hand. “Only one. And then you're going to help me beat Tiz at Words with Friends.”

“Sounds good to me,” he smiled. 

Alternis led her carefully to the dance floor. That nervousness from before had died down a little, and he was at ease enough to be happy. He could sense her reluctance, but even so, he placed his hand on her waist and led the steps.

He smiled contently, his eyes were drawn to her face. She didn't seem  _upset_ at least. It was more like she was... somber? Reserved? Shy? Whatever it was, it was  _adorable._

“...I really care about you,” he murmured.

Edea's eyes flicked up to meet his, before darting away again. Several moments passed before she responded. “Did you walk into a pole or something? Where is this coming from?” What annoyed her the most was that this was _actually flustering her_. This whole thing from Alternis, who was the _gigantic dork she grew up with._ _Why_ was she nervous?

“It's just how I feel.”

“Ahaha... I know, this is a bit you're trying out on me, right? I'm sure the girls'll love it.”

“No. It's not.” His words were even.

Edea didn't say anything. She didn't know why, but she wanted to just enjoy this for a little while longer. She wasn't sure what _all of this_ was, and she didn't know how to react. On the one hand, she felt a warmth inside of her chest, but on the other, she felt uneasy. She literally couldn't explain what she was feeling, or why.

“Is... something wrong?” Alternis asked carefully, when her steps slowed and she became less responsive.

“I... uh. ...I'm tired of dancing. I'll be back at the table.” Hesitantly, she let go of her dancing partner, and walked away.

And he had no idea what just happened.

\- - →

As much as Alternis wanted to meet Edea back at the table and ask what was wrong, he felt it was probably smarter to give her space. He spent the rest of the evening standing awkwardly off to the side, occasionally searching for the blonde girl to see what she was up to. A few times, she was on her phone. And several other times, she had her head propped up and was looking off into the distance.

What was she thinking about?

The car ride home was no better. While Mr. and Mrs. Lee were talking with each other like normal, there was an awkward ambiance hanging around the backseat. When they arrived home, the two teenagers quietly headed straight for their rooms.

When he put away the suit and changed into something more comfortable, Alternis flopped onto his bed with a sigh. Right by his hand, his phone dinged a text alert.

**Tiz**

_you alive?_

A smile quirked on his lips.

          _For the most part. How's your date?_

_dude_

_it's not a date!!_

_there was nothing good at the movies so we went to the arcade_

          _Nice. Did you pull the classic 'teaching her how to shoot pool' move?_

_h8 u_

_so much omg_

_i'm gonna enjoy this yogurt without you now_

         _Remember to wear a condom._

With a satisfied smirk. he clicked his phone off after the text sent. Alternis was sure that Tiz wasn't going to respond after that. Crawling onto his bed, he sat against the headboard and reached for the journal that was resting on his lamp desk.

For a moment, he rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. _Had he messed things up? Did she hate him now?_

He supposed there was no better place to self-reflect than in his own journal. With a sigh, he flipped it open to the next blank page. But before he could grab his pen, he heard a knock against his door frame.

_What could Mr. or Mrs. Lee want at this hour?_

“Come in,” he called as he reached for his pen.

“...Hey.”

He stopped short before his fingers touched it. “...Something up?” Alternis pulled his hand away, and looked up at Edea. He could feel a pit forming inside of him. He was expecting the worst.

The side of the bed dipped where she sat down. “...I'm sorry about earlier.”

He swallowed. “There's nothing to be sorry about.”

“Don't be stupid, Alternis...” She mumbled. Before continuing, she hugged her knees. “I'm just... You're one of my closest friends. We grew up together. I like what we have. And... I'm not ready for it to change yet,” her words grew more quiet as she spoke.

It wasn't _quite_ what he was expecting, which was actually a good thing in this case. But he wasn't sure he understood. “What... do you mean?”

Edea frowned at him. “I don't want anything to change between us. Not yet.” _She_ wasn't entirely sure what she meant by those last two words, but she felt content with her explanation. Maybe mentally the words didn't click, but in her heart they felt right.

The older boy nodded carefully. _What had she meant by 'yet'?_ “...Okay.” A pause. “So, is everything okay with us?”

She sighed and moved to sit next to him. “Yeah, I guess so.” Lightly, she punched his arm.

He smiled. “Did you beat Tiz at Words with Friends?”

“No, he stopped responding.” She pouted. “Having too much fun on his date, that jerk.”

“He's topping it all off with frozen yogurt. How much do you want to bet he offered to pay?”

Edea laughed. “Can you imagine? They're both going to be fighting over the bill.”

“Those two are adorable.” He grinned. “Are you sending him a text?”

The younger girl had pulled out her phone and started tapping on the screen. “Yeah, I'm telling him he should light some mood candles.”

Alternis laughed. “You're terrible.”

“Whatever! I know you probably sent him something earlier, jerk.” She kicked his leg, a smile on her face.

Edea wasn't sure what _any of this_ was, but she knew she liked it. She liked the time she spent with the older boy, and she enjoyed his company. One day, things were going to change. And hopefully in the future, she'll be ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing the Alternis/Ringabel balance in this chapter, ahaha. Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed!!


End file.
